Bugatti has just dropped an awesome video showing some of the testing being endured by its 3D-printed titanium caliper.
The French automaker first unveiled a prototype of its lightweight caliper 12 months ago and has been putting it to the test ever since. We were provided with a glimpse of the caliper in testing towards the end of December and this new, four-minute video provides an even better insight into what makes this caliper special.
For starters, the component is the largest 3D-printed part ever manufactured from titanium. The caliper features eight pistons and weighs just 6.4 lbs (2.9 kg), making it 40 per cent lighter than the calipers used currently by the Chiron.
To see what the brake caliper can handle, Bugatti mated it to a brake disc on a machine that mimics a Chiron decelerating from 375 km/h (233 mph) to naught. Under such rigors, the brake disc glows and sparks while comfortably exceeding 1000 degrees Celsius (~1800 degrees Farenheit). The 3D-printed caliper proves its caliber by easily deals with the extreme temperatures.
What’s particularly interesting about this caliper is that it actually features heaps of holes and cut-outs to ensure it weighs as little as possible, but this has been done without any impact on its rigidityt.
Bugatti hasn’t revealed when it will start fitting the Chiron (or any future products) with these, obviously superior, titanium calipers and whether they’ll be standard or a rather costly option.